Needle sharpener



Feb. 5, 1924-. 11,482,486

w. M. ROSCOE NEEDLE SHARPENER Filed Sept. 30. 1922 1 3M0 W 1 1/2275; 05527;; W

E 559? W Y yv @fikwwes Patented F ch. 5, 1924.

WALTER M. ROSCOE, 0F IVIILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

NEEDLE SHARPENEB.

Application filed September 30, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER M. Roscoe, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Needle Sharpeners; and I do herebyv declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to needlesharpeners for phonographs.

Objects of this invention are to provide a sharpener for phonograph needles which may be driven from the phonograph; which will sharpen the needles 2. large number of times before they become worthless; which will sharpen the needles while such needles are positioned upon the reproducer; which has a rapid cutting action, and which leaves no burrs upon the needle.

Further objects are to provide a needle sharpener adapted to be mounted permanently upon the phonograph; to provide means for automatically moving it out of the way when it is not in use; to provide means for operatively coupling the sharpener with the rotating record carrying portion of the phonograph; to provide a guide for the needle, and to provide for the renewal of the sharpening element.

An embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation of a phonograph showing the sharpener in operative position thereon, and in the act of sharpening a needle.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of thesharpener showing it in operative position in full lines and in inoperative position in dotted lines.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the device, and

Figure 4 is a sectional view on the line 47 4: of Figure 3.

The sharpener is adapted to be positioned adjacent the revolving record carrying portion of the phonograph, such as the disk 1, and to be so located that the reproducer 2 maybe swung into such a position that the needle 3 will be positioned closely adjacent the grinding element 4 of the sharpener. This grinding element may be of any desired construction, but is preferably a revolubly mounted wheel, such as wood for instance, with a sanded or abrading exterior 5. A convenient way of forming such ex Serial No. 591,505.

terioror peripheral portion 5 is to coat the portion with glue and thereafter apply the sand, emery or other 'abrading material. It is, however, to be understood that other typesof grinding wheels may constitute this sharpening element, if it is so desired. It is, however, contemplated removably positioning the sharpening element upon a shaft 6revolubly carried within a-bearing formed in the casing 7 as shown in the drawing. A convenient way of retaining the sharpening element or grinding wheel, is by means of a nut 8 threaded upon the inner reduced end 9 of the shaft 6 and adapted to bind the wheel against a shoulder, for instance, or against a tapered portion, if so desired, or, in fact, to retain the wheel upon the shaft in any manner found expedient. The outer end of the shaft is provided with a pulley 10 which is in frictional engagement with an idler pulley 11, carried upon a stub shaft 12, such shaft being rigidly carried by the casing 7. The outer side of the casing comprises a removable plate 13 which is provided with a slotted angularly positioned ear 14:. The two arms of this ear are adapted to be received upon opposite sides of a threaded retaining screw 15 and to be held in position upon the main portion of the casing 7, thereby holding the plate 13 in closing or sealing position. The pulley 11 may be formed of rubber, if desired, or may be provided with a rubber sheet upon its exterior, so as to secure an adequate frictional grip upon the surface of the pulley 10. The casing is provided with downwardly extending lugs 16 and 17 which carry a short transverseshaft 18, such shaft being conveniently retained in position by means of a pin 19. This shaft, or rod, 15 is slidably mounted within an upstanding lug 20 formed integrally with the base 21. The base may be provided with screw receiving apertures and is intended to be fastened to the body 22 of the phonograph. A helical spring 23 is loosely coiled about the rod 18 and has its ends 24: and 25 bearing against the bottom side of the casing 7 and against a portion of the base 21, re spectively.

In order to provide for the proper guiding of the fibre needle 3, a hole 26 is formed thru a wall of the casing and is provided with a notched lower portion 27, adapted to receive the angular edge of the needle, and to aid in maintaining the needle at the correct angle, as shown in Figure 1, with relation to the grinding wheel 5.

The operation of the device is as follows The reproducer is swung into the position shown in Figure 1, and the sharpener is rocked from the dotted line position into the full line position shown in Figure 2, and is slid rearwardly towards the needle into the position shown in Figure 1, the spring 23 the operating point is left free of any burrs,

and is formed in an ideal manner.

After the needle has been pointed, the

operator allows the casing to slide forwardly and to rock rearwardly into the dotted line position shown in Figure 2.

It will be seen that the phonograph needles may be sharpened without removing them from the reproducer. It will further be seen that this sharpening process may be rapidly and effectively performed without in any way damaging the phonographthe resulting dust from the grinding operation being temporarily retained within the casing.

In actual use of this device, it has been found that a minute amount may be ground from the needle and that the needle will be in perfect shape for further use, thereby permitting the needle to be sharpened alarge number of times before it becomes worthless. It is to be noted that a material portion of the needle is not sliced ofi at each operation, but that the point is sharpened by a grinding action.

Although one embodiment of the invention has been described in considerable detail, it is to be understood that the invention may be embodied in widely different forms as is to be limited, therefore, only as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a phonograph having a driving mechanism and a reproducer provided with a needle; and a needle sharpener comprising a revoluble sharpening element and means for operatively coupling said driving mechanism with said sharpening element, said sharpening element being so located relatively to said reproducer as to permit the contacting of the needle and element while the needle is in position on said reproducer.

2. A sharpener for phonograph needles comprising a casing, a grinding element revolubly mounted within said casing, mech anism operatively connected with said grinding element and adapted to be driven from said phonograph, and a support pivotally joined to said casing, whereby the axis of said grinding element may be moved from an angular position into a substantially horizontal position. i

3. A sharpener for phonograph needles comprising a casing, a grinding element revolubly mounted within said casing, mechanism operatively connected with said grinding element and adapted to be driven from said phonograph, and a support pivotally and shdably joined to said casing, whereby said casing may be pivotally swung into cooperative relation with reference to said phonograph and may he slid laterally into position to sharpen the needle.

4:. A sharpener for phonograph needles comprising a casing, a grinding element revolubly mounted within said casing, mechanism operatively connected with said grinding element and adapted to be driven from said phonograph, a support pivotally joined to said casing, and a spring normally holding said casing in a fixed position relatively to said support and said grinding element out of cooperative relation with said phonograph.

5. A sharpener for fibre phonograph needles comprising a casing provided with a notched opening for receiving and guiding the needles, a shaft extending through the wall of said casing, a grinding wheel mounted upon said shaft and located within said casing, a pulley mounted upon said shaft and located outside of said casing, and an idler pulley carried by said casing upon its outer side and having driving engagement with said first mentioned pulley.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

WALTER M. ROSCOE. 

